Local kids recruit APD officer for quick game of 2-on-3

AUSTIN - One Austin police officer took some local kids to court … but he might have been the one who got schooled.

Officer Strnad of the Austin Police Department said he was wrapping up a few calls Sunday near Givens Park in East Austin when a group of inquisitive boys around the ages of 7 to 9 grabbed his attention and later invited him to a game of 2-on-3 basketball.

In an image shared on the APD's Twitter account, Strnad can be seen towering over the speedy youngsters on the court. But when asked who won the game, a definitive answer didn’t come so easily.

“We didn’t really keep score,” Strnad said of the game. “It was a bit chaotic.”

He said he enjoyed the game and his conversations with the kids. The officer said he answered the typical questions about what he was wearing on his belt, but they also discussed who they were all rooting for to win the NBA Finals.

While the boys seemed to all be rooting for the Golden State Warriors, Strnad said his prediction is more of a tossup.

“I’m just predicting seven games,” he said.

The officer said three of the boys were brothers. After the game their mother showed up, expressing her appreciation.

Though he said he might have gotten caught on camera this time around, this isn’t the first time in his near four-year history with the APD that he’s picked up a game or two with community kids.